Colby Cheese & Corn Chowder with Eggplant Zucchini Cakes

• This recipe is one from the cookbook Cuisine: Soups, Stews & Chilies. The crabcakes have been changed to be eggplant zucchini cakes. It's a healthy take on a sumptuous meal. Colby Cheese and Corn Chowder: 5 strips thick-sliced bacon, diced 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter 2 Tbsp. olive oil 2 cups diced onion 1 cup diced celery 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 tsp. minced fresh thyme 1 tsp. kosher salt 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 6 cups chicken broth 2 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and diced 5 cups kerneled frozen corn 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup shredded white Colby Jack -- minced fresh green onions as needed • Cook bacon in a large pot over medium heat until crisp (about 5 minutes). Drain onto a paper-towel lined plate and set to the side. Pour off drippings, wipe out the pot used with a paper towel, and return to medium burner. • Melt butter with oil in the same pot, add onion and celery. Continue to sweat (comparable to sauté) until soft, which will be 7 or 8 minutes. Stir in the flour, thyme, salt, and cayenne. Cook for two minutes. • Combine broth, potatoes, and corn kernels. Bring chowder to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until potatoes are tender, around eleven minutes. • Stir in cream, Colby Jack, and reserved bacon. Simmer until cheese melts, about five minutes, but do not let the chowder boil, else it will curdle. Use green onions as garnish. Egglplant Zucchini Cakes: 2 cups Panko crumbs 2 cups shaved zucchini 1 cup shaved eggplant 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper 1/4 cup minced green onions 1 tsp. Zatarain's seasoning 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 1/3 cup mayonnaise 1 large egg Juice of 1/2 of a lemon 1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided • Line baking sheet with wax paper. Sprinkle with a quarter cup of the Panko bread crumbs. • Combine the eggplant, zucchini, 1//2 cup of Panko crumbs, bell pepper, green onions, Zatarain's, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together mayonnaise, egg, and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Fold into a crab-like mixture. • Form into cakes using a generous amount. Press the cakes into the crumbs to flatten and shape. Sprinkle with remaining Panko bread crumbs. Chill for half an hour, or up to a couple of hours if necessary.

• Fry half the cakes in a few tablespoons of oil in a large sauté pan over medium to high heat until golden. Just a few minutes per side. Drain cakes on a paper-towel lined plate. Repeat til all cakes are cooked. Bon Appetite!